Grain size and depositional environment as predictors of permeability in coastal marine sands

More than half of the surface sediments covering the continental shelves are sandy, which may permit substantial sub-seafloor pore water advection. Knowledge of sediment permeability is required for quantifying advection and associated solute transport, but studies of marine sediments typically report grain size analyses rather than permeability. Here data from 23 studies were examined to determine the range in permeabilities reported for sublittoral marine sands and to assess the utility of permeability–grain size relationships in this setting. In the resulting database, the permeability of small (∼30 cm) undisturbed cores collected from the sea floor all fell between 2 × 10⁻¹² and 4 × 10⁻¹⁰ m², a range where advective transport induced by wave and current action should be pervasive. The range in grain size was very similar for near-shore (<10 m water depth) and continental shelf samples (>10 m water depth), but the permeability of the continental shelf samples was consistently lower for the same median grain size. Empirical permeability–grain size relationships generated a poor fit (r² = 0.35) for the aggregate data, but separate relationships for near-shore and continental shelf samples were significantly better, r² = 0.66 and 0.77, respectively. Permeability–grain size relationships thus may be useful for sublittoral sands, but a larger database needs to be accumulated before reliable fit parameters and variability can be predicted. Thus it is recommended that permeability be routinely determined when characterizing sedimentological properties of marine sand deposits. Concurrent determinations of sediment bulk density and porosity may further improve estimates of permeability.     

Variation in groundwater salinity in a tidal salt marsh basin,North Inlet Estuary,South Carolina

Groundwater flow of freshwater from upland forests into salt marshes is influenced by hydrologic forces that operate over a wide range of temporal scales, including storm events, tidal fluctuations, seasonal variations in rainfall and evapotranspiration (ET). Groundwater salinity can be a useful first order indicator of the balance between these flow processes. A dipole-dipole electrical resistivity survey was conducted approximately monthly during 2005 to measure groundwater salinity across a portion of Crabhaul Creek, a tidal salt marsh basin at the boundary of the upland forest and the North Inlet marsh in South Carolina. The monthly electrical resistivity surveys were designed to provide a detailed, spatially continuous measurement of subsurface conductivity to a depth of 4 m in order to further investigate the seasonal variation in groundwater salinity. Resistivity models were corroborated by simultaneous measurements of salinity in nearby piezometers. The freshwater-brackish water interface was clearly imaged by the resistivity. Movement of this interface occurs on a timescale of months rather than a regular seasonal variation. The average salinity in the marsh basin is highest in late Summer (July–August) when ET is highest, and lowest during the Winter (November–December). The position of the brackish-freshwater interface changes, but is not well correlated to local rainfall or tidal cycles except under specific circumstances. A steady-state hydrological model correctly predicts the average position of the freshwater-brackish interface and suggests a linear relationship between the height of the water table and the location of the interface. These results suggest a complex relationship between precipitation events and groundwater flow from the forest into the marsh.     

Hydrogeochemistry and isotope techniques to determine water interactions in groundwater-dependent shallow lakes,Wet Pampa Plain,Argentina

This paper gives an account of the implementation of hydrochemical and isotopic techniques to identify and explain the processes that govern solute exchange in two groundwater-dependent shallow lakes in the Southeastern Pampa Plain of Argentina. Water samples (lakes, streams, spring water and groundwater) for hydrochemical and stable isotopic determination were collected and the main physical–chemical parameters were measured. The combination of stable isotope data with hydrogeochemical techniques was used for the identification of sources and preferential recharge areas to these aquatic ecosystems which allowed the explanation of the lake water origin. The hydrochemical processes which explain Los Padres Lake water chemistry are evaporation from groundwater, CO₂ input, calcite dissolution, Na⁺ release by Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ exchange, and sulfate reduction. The model that best aligns with La Brava Lake hydrochemical constraints includes: mixing, CO₂ and calcite dissolution, cationic exchange with Na⁺ release and Mg²⁺ adsorption, and to a lesser extent, Ca/Na exchange. This model suggests that the fractured aquifer contribution to this water body is greater than 50 %. An isotopic-specific fingerprint for each lake was identified, finding a higher evaporation rate for La Brava Lake compared to Los Padres Lake. Isotopic data demonstrate the importance of these shallow lakes as recharge areas to the regional aquifer, becoming areas of high groundwater vulnerability. The Tandilia Range System, considered in many hydrogeological studies as the impermeable bedrock of the Pampean aquifer, acts as a fissured aquifer in this area, contributing to low salinity waters and with a fingerprint similar to groundwater isotopic composition.     

Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation

The findings of BRITICE-CHRONO Transect 2 through the North Sea Basin and eastern England are reported. We define ice-sheet marginal oscillation between ~31 and 16 ka, with seven distinctive former ice-sheet limits (L1–7) constrained by Bayesian statistical analysis. The southernmost limit of the North Sea Lobe is recorded by the Bolders Bank Formation (L1; 25.8–24.6 ka). L2 represents ice-sheet oscillation and early retreat to the northern edge of the Dogger Bank (23.5–22.2 ka), with the Garret Hill Moraine in north Norfolk recording a significant regional readvance to L3 at 21.5–20.8 ka. Ice-marginal oscillations at ~26–21 ka resulted in L1, L2 and L3 being partially to totally overprinted. Ice-dammed lakes related to L1–3, including Lake Humber, are dated at 24.1–22.3 ka. Ice-sheet oscillation and retreat from L4 to L5 occurred between 19.7 and 17.3 ka, with grounding zone wedges marking an important transition from terrestrial to marine tidewater conditions, triggered by the opening of the Dogger Lake spillway between 19.9 and 17.5 ka. L6 relates to ice retreat under glacimarine conditions and final ice retreat into the Firth of Forth by 15.8 ka. L7 (~15 ka) represents an ice retreat from Bosies Bank into the Moray Firth.     

Anthropogenic hillslope terraces and swidden agriculture in Jiuzhaigou National Park, northern Sichuan, China

Small, irregular terraces on hillslopes, or terracettes, are common landscape features throughout west central China. Despite their prevalence, there is limited understanding of the nature of these topographic features, the processes that form them, and the role humans played in their formation. We used an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the geology, ecology, and cultural history of terracette development within Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan Province, China. Terracettes occur on south facing, 20° slopes at 2500 m elevation, which appears to coincide with places people historically preferred to build villages. Ethnographic interviews suggest that traditional swidden agricultural cycles removed tree roots, causing the loess sediments to lose cohesion, slump, and the terrace risers to retreat uphill over time. This evidence is supported by landslide debris at terracette faces. Archaeological analysis of terracette sites reveal remains of rammed spread soil structures, bones, stone tools, and ceramics dating from at least 2200 years before present within a distinct paleosol layer. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of terracette sediments ranged in age from between 1500 and 2000 ¹⁴C yr BP and between 16 and 0.30 ka, respectively. These multiple lines of evidence indicate a long history of human habitation within Jiuzhaigou National Park and, taken together, suggest strong links between terracette formation and human-landuse interactions.     

Perspectives on being a field-based geomorphologist during pregnancy and early motherhood

Many geomorphologists who are mothers find it challenging to balance field research alongside pregnancy and caring for young children. We offer perspectives on the challenges to conducting fieldwork as mothers and possible solutions, as a means of promoting conversations and highlighting issues that are less commonly considered in field-based geomorphic research. Although every mother's experience and needs are different, we discuss strategies for conducting fieldwork, addressing childcare issues, and dealing with financial considerations. We call for our community to support geomorphologists who are pregnant or caring for young children in carrying out fieldwork to help enhance the diversity of voices and perspectives within our discipline.     

On the Solar Origins of Intense Geomagnetic Storms Observed During 6–11 March 1993

Intense geomagnetic storms with DST index -100 nT were recorded on 9 March and 11 March 1993 associated with solar activity on 6 March and 9-10 March, respectively. In this paper, we discuss the characteristic features of the solar origins of the two events that gave rise to coronal and interplanetary disturbances and as a consequence produced strong geomagnetic activity at the Earth. The source of the activity in one case is attributed to a major 3M7.0 flare that occurred on 6 March 1993 and in the other case, to two large filament disruptions on the disk during 9-10 March, 1993. Both these sources were found to be located near changing or varying low-latitude coronal holes. They were also located close to the heliospheric currents sheets. Distinct X-ray activity was observed for both the events as observed by the Yohkoh SXT telescope. The detailed evolution and a comparison of these events on the basis of Yohkoh soft X-ray observations are presented here.     

Was GRB 990123 a unique optical flash?

GRB 990123 was a long, complex gamma-ray burst accompanied by an extremely bright optical flash. We find different constraints on the bulk Lorentz of this burst to be consistent with the speculation that the optical light is emission from the reverse shock component of the external shock. Motivated by this currently favoured idea, we compute the prompt reverse shock emission to be expected for bursts in which multiwavelength observations allow the physical parameters to be constrained. We find that for reasonable assumptions about the velocity of source expansion, a strong optical flash  m_V≈9  was expected from the reverse shocks, which were usually found to be mildly relativistic. The best observational prospects for detecting these prompt flashes are highlighted, along with the possible reasons for the absence of optical prompt detections in ongoing observations.     

Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36: Spectroscopy from 0.4 to 2.4 μm and meteorite analogs

We present reflectance spectra from 0.4 to 2.4 μm of Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36, the target of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft mission. The visible spectral data were obtained at the McDonald Observatory 2.1-m telescope with the ES2 spectrograph. The infrared spectral data were obtained at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility using the SpeX instrument. The average visible spectrum is combined with the average near-infrared wavelength spectrum to form a composite spectrum. We use three methods to constrain the compositional information in the composite spectrum of Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 (hereafter RQ36). First, we perform a least-squares search for meteorite spectral analogs using 15,000 spectra from the RELAB database. Three most likely meteorite analogs are proposed based on the least-squares search. Next, six spectral parameters are measured for RQ36 and their values are compared with the ranges in parameter values of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorite classes. A most likely meteorite analog group is proposed based on the depth of overlap in parameter values. The results of the least-squares search and the parametric comparisons point to CIs and/or CMs as the most likely meteorite analogs for RQ36, and COs and CHs as the least likely. RQ36 has a spectrally “blue” continuum slope that is also observed in carbonaceous chondrites containing magnetite. We speculate that RQ36 is composed of a “CM1”-like material. Finally, we compare RQ36 to other B-type asteroids measured by Clark et al. (Clark, B.E. et al. [2010]. J. Geophys. Res. 115, E06005). The results of this comparison are inconclusive. RQ36 is comparable to Themis spectral properties in terms of its albedo, visible spectrum, and near-infrared spectrum from 1.1 to 1.45 μm. However, RQ36 is more similar to Pallas in terms of its near-infrared spectrum from 1.6 to 2.3 μm. Thus it is possible that B-type asteroids form a spectral continuum and that RQ36 is a transitional object, spectrally intermediate between the two end-members. This is particularly interesting because Asteroid 24 Themis was recently discovered to have H₂O ice on the surface (Rivkin, A., Emery, J. [2010]. Nature 464, 1322–1323; Campins, H. et al. [2010a]. Nature 464, 1320–1321).